Cable guide



Oct. 2, 1945.

w. A. POLLOCK CABLE GUIDE Filed April 14, '1944 I INVENTOR. 144700 "o//oATTORNEY Patented Oct. 2, 1945 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFF-ICE CABLE GUIDEWilliam A. Pollock, Long Beach, Calif.

Application April 14, 1944, Serial No. 531,064 12 Claims. (01. 254-190)This invention has to do with a cable guide and has particular referenceto a construction for guiding a cable onto a drum such as the drum of atraveling crane, and it is a general object of the present invention toprovide a guide which will operate to effectively and dependably handlea cable as it is spooled onto a drum so that the danger of the cablebuilding up radially rather than feeding axially is eliminated, with theconsequent elimination of the dangers and injuries that result whenexcessive slack occurs or freedom is allowed in the cable. The inventionis partially suited to use on a traveling crane, however, it can be usedto advantage in various situations where drums are used for handlingcables or lines. Traveling cranes are used in numerous situations, forinstance, around loadin docks in manufacturing plants or yards, as forinstance around,

shipyards. Such cranes are generally supported on wheels so that theyare movable and it is com-',

mon to have them run on tracks. In most cases such cranes are operatedelectrically and to supply the necessary electrical energy a heavyelectric cable is anchored at a point about midway of the travel of thecrane and a cable spool or drum is provided on the crane to handle theelectric cable as the crane moves to and from the point where the cableis anchored. With the usual crane construction the electric cable drumis located so that it is necessary to provide one or more guides for thecable, which operate to keep the bottom side thereof, there isan-excessivedragon the guide. This drag or friction, in practice,materially interferes with the feed or spooling of the cable on the drumso that there is a marked tendency for the cable to feed onto the drumat one point along its length and thus pileup radially. When the tensionis relieved the cable will spring or fall from the piled up positioncreating looseness so that it can get under the Wheels of the crane orcan be exposed to injure workmen. I p

The general object of the present invention is toprovide a constructionon the ordinarycrane such as I have referred to whereby the 'spoolingcompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of a typical traveling crane ofthe type to which the structure of the present invention is applicable.Fig, 2 is a bottom view of a part of the crane taken at the drum whichhandles the electric cable, showing the device of the present inventionapplied to facilitate spooling of the electric cable onto the drum. Fig.3 is an enlarged, detailed sectional View of a part of the mechanism ofthe present invention, being a view through the anti-friction rollerprovided bythe present invention. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of thestructure shown in Fig. 2, being a view taken as indicated by line 4-4on Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view taken substantially as indicatedby line 55 on Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially asindicated by line 6-6 on Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the part shownin Figs. 5 and 6,

being a view taken as indicated by line 1-1 on Fig. 6.

The construction of the present invention is applicable generally todrums such as are employed in traveling cranes, or the like, to handleelectric cables. Since the invention is particularly useful as appliedto traveling cranes such as are used in shipyards, on docks, and in likesituations, I will describe it as applied to such a construction, itbeing understood that such reference is not to be taken as a limitationupon the scope or range of application of the invention.

In Fig. l of the drawing I show a traveling crane A of typicalconstruction. The crane involves a vertically disposed frame structurel0 with a rotatable head I ion the upper end of the frame. A boom I2projects from the head of the crane and a winding drum I3 is carried ina frame It at the lower portion or base of the frame It. Wheels I5 areprovided to support the crane so that it can be moved.

In accordance with the usual crane construction the motor driven drumI3- is provided'to handle the electric cable l6 which has one endanchored to the crane and the other end anchored to a fixed point I!with reference to which the crane operates. The drum 13 is mounted inthe usual manner on the frame I 4 so that its end flanges projectsomewhat below the frame I4 and guard members l8 are carried by theframe parts adjacentthe ends of the drum to extend beyond the projectingportions of the drum, as is shown in Figs, 2 and4 of the drawing. r

In accordance with the usual crane construc-' tion guides X and Y arelocated at the frame l4 at either side of or in opposite directions fromthe drum. In the usual practice these guides extend transversely of theframe or are parallel. with the drum and are located lowenoughrso thatthey positively prevent the cable lifting up in a manner to interferewith fra me. parts: or

other working parts of the crane proper. From an examination of Fig. 1of the drawing it will be seen that the guide xis located to guidethiecable Is to; and from: the 'drumwhenitisrelated tothe drum toatendto'feed onto or from the drum atthe bottom side thereof, whereas theguide. Y is'located': so that it operatesor is engaged byethe cable;when the crane is operated so that. the cable tends to feed onto-.orfrom the'idrum: at the upper side thereof. In practice little difiicultyis experienced with guides locatedasl is the guide X, whereas muchtrouble isv given by: guides lo.-

cated asis theguiderY.

The; device of: the. present invention. may. be. applied toboth'guidesxand Y ofgacranep How ever, since it is usually. only necessary as.applied to the guldetY. I' have shown it in such: application.'llhei-d'evice of the present invention v involves,- generally; an;antirfrictioni. roller .29 mounted on the-(guide: Yto be: freelyrotatable and slidablelongitudinally; thereon; The invention furtherprovides arms 2 l' which. are; pivotally attached-to za that embraces;the roller, which; arms diverge-sfromethezycke and extend in the generaldireetion-v of the to the guards I-8 where theyaresli'dably pivotallyconnected to the guards byzm'eansv 23. r I

Iim'axscoizdance witlmeomrnon cra e construction the is' 'a': straight,pl'ai-n bar; usually rout-rd: ihscmssssectien as i's showninthe'drawin'g. The roller mos the presen t inventi'on may; if desired, bedireetly mounted on the guide However. it: preferre'd toprovide abearing sleeve 2% for tharol-ler 211'; The bearing sleeve 24 has afinished; b'o' re-ZB that has a: good-bearingfit on the guide Y. Themiddle portion 26 of the sleeve is turned at the exterior to provide aneffectivebearing'to the roller 211' The end porti'ons 21 of the sleeveare threaded to facilitate connectionwith" t'he yoke 2 2 a s wil lbeherein-after described; The" roller has a central bore 2'8=fitting-thepart 26 ofthe sl'eeve and sui'table'means 29- may be providedfor-supplying lubricant between the roller and sleeve to keep theconstruction adequately lubricated. Further lubricant passages 31 may beprovidedthe' pprtion 2-6 of the sleeve so that lubricant suppliedbetween the'roller and sleeve will find its way intothe bore ofthesleeve to lubricate the sleeve on the guiderod.

' The yoke i z has spaced s-idepar'ts 3-5'which are arranged at oppositeends ofthe roller Zil and have openings whichpass the end portions ofthe sleeve 2W; Nuts 36" are threadedon the projecting threaded portionsof the" sleeve 2 4 and" may be tightened against the outer surfaces ofthe side parts 35. In the. particular construction illustrated the web31 of the yoke is split and the two parts are joined by a bolt 38, orthe like, to facilitate assembly of the yoke with the other parts.

The arms 2| connect the yoke which carries the roller 20 with the frame14 that carries the drum l3 through the guards l8 at opposite ends ofthe drum. The arms are piyotally connected to the outer or projectingends of the sides of the yoke by pivot. pins 40 so. that they are. freeto swing-aim agenerall'y horizontal direction. it being preferred toarrange and locate the parts so that the axis of the pivot pins 40 isgenerally vertical.

The arms 2i may be in the form of bars round cross section, slightlycurved immediately adjacent their points of connection with the sideparts'yiso that'they serve toefiectively guide the cable-l5 relative to.the roller 20.

The ends 23 provided for slidably'pivotally connecti'ngthe arms 2| withthe guards I8 may vary widely. in practice In the-particular of. theinvention i-llustrated each means 23 includes. a. bearingiplate secured:to -.the guard l8 byrxa': U-bolt 51h] A spindieifrl! is rotatablycarriedtby: theplate" 50:and a bearing sleeves5'3z is carried on theouter: orprojectingrendioli the: win dle; As* shown:in.1iigs; 5'; 6'andi'ljthe bearing plate 56* may be a plaint; flat-fplat'e withioperliings to pass the-two threadedside parts of: the: U b61115] an'dnuts .54 maybe threaded onuthesidepalrts of the- U -bolt to, clalmp'a'gainst' the; plate? 50:: Nuts 50'" on, the; bolt 5?! engage platailltuna-m the structure on the" guardilm v a Y The?- spindle fizrotataikily carried by the plate 50: may be retained on the plate byanut 56" threadedw on. the spindle. 'lhe -ti-ibul'air bearing 53' mayformed integrall y oi-rthe outer end oi the spindle 523 transverseof thelongitudinal axis off the; spindle,-

throughout the drawingi The bearing: 56 slidaibly passes thearm 2-1;

With the' construction above described and the means: as applied 'tothe-guards F8 as'shown throughout-the 1 drawing, theyeke carrying theroller" 2-0 is' -free to" shifti' longitudinally of the guide hariYtrOmone erid to" the other while" the arms lil pivot" about their pi votpins 40 at the yoke and? s1id'e=- and pivot relative to the guides" isthrough the -means- 23? Through this connec tion the; arms-Z1- are at'all times maintained in position teerrecuvay g-ui'de tliec'abIe--l6-toward thero'llep w should have a tende'ncyto becomedi'serigagedtherefrom. 5

m: operation 'wherr the crane is'bei-ngi'moved sdthatthe cable: I 6 isfed to tlie drumg l3, as indicated full linesin Fig; i; and as shown inFigs; 2 and 4 of the drawing,- the cable bears on the anti-frictionroller 20 p'rovided by the presens-inventions The roller is freeto-turn; being effectively lubricated and mountediorrthe sleeve 2 4 The'sleevegzfl the yoke]and"v roller is free to slide long-i nally-ontheguidei lcla'r Y with the result that the naturar tendency "of thecable [6 to" properly s-pter, on the drumj' 3 is not impaired but"rather the cableifre'ely spools-trans:-

versely along the lengtlr of thejd'rum and" it does herein set forth,but wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications that mayappear to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of thefollowing claims:

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination, a frame, a drum carried by the frame, and means forguiding a cable relative to the drum including, a guide bar carried bythe frame parallel with the drum, a cable supporting roller, means forrotatably and slidably mounting said roller on the bar, a pair of armspivotally connected to said means diverging from points adjacent theerids of the roller, said arms having slidable pivotal mountings atopposite ends of the drum on said frame and the arms acting to guide thecable onto the roller.

2. In combination, a frame, a drum carried by the frame, guards for thedrum at th ends thereof, and means for guiding a cable relative to thedrum including, a guide bar carried by the frame parallel with the drum,a cable supporting roller, means for rotatably and slidably mountingsaid roller on the bar, a pair of cable guiding arms pivotally connectedto said means and diverging from points adjacent the ends of the rollerto the guards, said arms having a slidable pivotal connection with theguards.

3. In combination, a frame, a drum carried by the frame, and means forguiding a cable relative to the drum including, a guide bar carried bythe frame parallel with the drum, a sleeve slidable along the bar, aroller rotatable on the sleeve, a pair of arms pivotally connected withsaid sleeve and diverging from points adjacent the ends of the roller,said arms having slidable pivotal mountings on said frame at oppositeends of the drum and acting to guide the cable onto th roller.

4. In combination, a frame, a drum carried by the frame, and means forguidin a cable relative to the drum including, a guide bar carried bythe frame parallel with the drum, a sleeve slidable on the bar, a yokecarrying the sleeve, a roller in the yoke and rotatable on the sleeve,and arms carried by the yoke and having slidable pivotal connection withthe frame at the ends of the drum.

5. In combination, a frame, a drum carried by the frame, and means forguiding a cable relative to the drum including, a guide bar carried bythe frame parallel with the drum, a sleeve slidable on the bar, a yokecarrying the sleeve, a roller in the yoke and rotatable on the sleeve, apair of arms, means pivotally connecting the arms to the yoke, and meansslidably pivotally connecting the arms with the frame at the ends of thedrum.

6. In combination, a frame, a drum carried by the frame, and means forguiding a cable relative to the drum including, a guide bar carried bythe frame parallel with the drum, a sleeve slidable on the bar, a, yokecarrying the sleeve, a roller in the yoke and rotatable on the sleeve, apair of arms, means pivotally connecting the arms to the yoke, and meansslidably pivotally connectin the arms with the frame at the ends of thedrum including clamps for connection to parts stationary with the frame,spindles rotatably supported by the clamps, and sleeves carried by thespindles to slidably carry the arms.

'7. In combination, a frame, a drum carried by the frame, and means forguiding a cable relative to the drum including, a guide bar carried bythe frame parallel with the drum, a sleeve slidable on the bar, a yokecarrying the sleeve, nuts threaded on the ends of the sleeve engagingthe sides of the yoke, a roller in the yoke and rotatable on the sleeve,and arms carried by the yoke and having slidable pivotal connection withthe frame at the ends of the drum.

8. A cable guide for use with a drum carried by a frame including, astationary rod to be supported from the frame, a sleeve slidable alongthe rod,- a pair of guide arms, a yoke carrying the sleeve and havingside arms with means for pivotally carrying said guide arms so theydiverge therefrom to the ends of the drum, and a roller rotatablysupported on the sleeve between the side arms of the yoke.

9, A cable guide for use with a drum carried by a frame including, astationary rod to be supported from the frame, a sleeve slidable alongthe rod, a pair of guide arms, a yoke carrying the sleeve and havingspaced side arms with means for pivotally carrying said guide arms sothey diverge therefrom to the ends of the drum, and nuts threaded ontheends of the sleeve to engage the side arms of the yoke.

10. In combination, a frame, a drum carried. by the frame, and means forguiding a cable relative to the drum including, a guide bar carried bythe frame parallel with the drum, a cable supporting roller rotatableand slidable on the,

bar, a pair of cable guiding arms diverging from points adjacent theends of the roller so their outer portions are at points beyond the endsof the drum, means immediately beyond the ends of the drum slidablypivotally supporting the outer portions of the arms, and means pivotallysupporting the arms adjacent the ends of the roller.

11. In combination, a frame, a drum carried by the frame, and means forguiding a cable relative to the drum including, a guide bar carried bythe frame parallel with the drum, a cable supporting roller rotatableand slidable on the bar, a pair of diverging cable guiding arms to guidethe cable onto the roller, means slidably pivotally supporting the armsadjacent the ends of the drum, and means supported by the guide bar andpivotally supporting the inner' ends of the guide arms adjacent the endsof the roller.

12. In combination, a frame, a drum carried by the frame, and means forguiding a cable relative to the drum including, a guide bar carried bythe frame parallel with the drum, 8. cable supporting roller rotatableand slidable on the bar, a pair of cable guiding arms diverging frompoints adjacent the ends of the roller so their outer portions are atpoints beyond the ends of the drum, means pivotally supporting the armsadjacent the ends of the roller, and means immediately beyond the endsof the drum supporting the outer portions of the arms including clampsfor connection to parts stationary with the frame, spindles rotatablysupported by the clamps, and sleeves carried by the spindles to slidablycarry the arms.

WILLIAM A. POLLOCK.

